Showing posts with label Queen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Queen. Show all posts
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah part of the US Open (AP)
NEW YORK – Celeb watchers won't have to survey the stands at the U.S. Open because the stars will be on the courts.
Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah (lah-TEE'-fuh) and singer Taio (ty-OH') Cruz will be among the celebrities participating in the tennis tournament in New York, it was announced Wednesday.
Ferrell will join John McEnroe and Jim Courier during a doubles exhibition on Sept. 8.
Latifah will be part of a somber moment as the tournament pays tribute to 9/11 victims on Sept. 11. It's the last scheduled day of the tournament, the men's final.
The Aug. 29 opening-night ceremony will include a performance by Cruz and Greyson Chance. Festivities will kick off the week before with a concert by Girl Talk and Matt & Kim in Manhattan.
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Online:
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_ce/storytext/us_us_open_celebs/42626774/SIG=10llustd8/*http://www.usta.com
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Rihanna topples Lady Gaga for Facebook Queen title (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) – Sorry, Lady Gaga, but Rihanna has just passed you by. At least on the Facebook charts.
The "Rude Boy" singer has overtaken the "Judas" chanteuse to become the most popular female star on the social media site, according to Famecount.com.
As of this writing, Barbados-born singer Rihanna has amassed 40,622,133 "likes" for her Facebook page, edging out Gaga, who lags with 40,580,102 "likes."
The good news for Lady Gaga? She still easily beats Rihanna on the Twitter front, with 11,653,916 followers versus Rihanna's 6,116,687. And according to Famecount's aggregated rankings, Gaga is still tops among celebrities when her combined Facebook likes, Twitter followers and YouTube views are taken into account. Rihanna ranks third, behind Gaga and Justin Bieber.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Queen of Soul fractures toe on designer shoe heel (AP)
DETROIT – A misstep on the spiked heel of one of her favorite Jimmy Choo designer shoes left the Queen of Soul in a hospital boot with a fractured toe on her left foot.
Aretha Franklin performed Thursday at the home of a Dallas "oil baron" and was packing her clothing later in a hotel room when she stepped on the shoe, causing the heel to "wrap" around the toe, spokeswoman Tracey Jordan told The Associated Press Tuesday.
"She went to sleep and in the morning it was still hurting and throbbing," Jordan said.
But Franklin had to hit the road for a performance Saturday in Greenwich, Conn.
"They were driving up Friday and it started really hurting so they made a pit stop," Jordan said.
X-rays taken at an Indianapolis hospital revealed the fracture.
"She said `Thank God it wasn't my pedal foot for the piano!'" Jordan said.
The Grammy-winning songstress plays the piano during her performances, using her right foot on the instrument's pedals.
Wearing a blue, plastic hospital boot — with a wooden sole, Franklin performed Saturday in Greenwich and is scheduled to appear Tuesday night at the Wolf Trap near Vienna, Va.
"She wears a designer shoe on the other foot," Jordan said. "She's standin g and dancing. She's wearing gowns and you can't really see her feet until she sits at the piano."
Franklin likely will wear the boot for a few more weeks and remove it "as soon as the doctor tells her," Jordan said.
She often receives requests to perform at private parties, said Jordan, who declined to release the name of the Dallas man.
"This was a very touching party," she said. "The oil baron ... his wife passed away a year ago. Her favorite singer was Aretha Franklin. He had a party to celebrate her life."
The 69-year-old music legend underwent surgery in early December in Detroit for an undisclosed ailment. Since then, she lost more than 80 pounds, which Franklin attributed to a change in diet and exercise.
Her latest CD, "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love," was released in April and Franklin is scheduled to play DTE Energy Music Theatre on Aug. 25. It's in Clarkston, north of her native Detroit.
Franklin also is scheduled to perform this summer at the Toronto Jazz Festival and at Jones Beach Theatre in New York, Jordan said.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Colin Firth adds honor from Queen Elizabeth to Oscar (Reuters)
LONDON (Reuters) – "King's Speech" actor Colin Firth was awarded an honor by Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Saturday, joining more than 900 people from all walks of British life in the twice-yearly list.
Firth, who won a best actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the stammering King George VI, the queen's father, in the Oscar-winning movie "The King's Speech" was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
The 50-year-old actor has become an international favorite since playing the aloof but alluring Mr. Darcy in a 1995 television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel "Pride and Prejudice."
There were also awards for South African-born actress Janet Suzman, who becomes a "Dame," and for Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry, who received a CBE.
Long-serving British light entertainment star Bruce Forsyth, 83, picked up a knighthood, while comic actors Bernard Cribbins, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden were all made Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
There was also a CBE for lawyer Mark Stephens, currently defending WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange over a Swedish extradition request for alleged sexual misconduct.
In the world of sport, England cricket captain Andrew Strauss was awarded an OBE after leading the national side to two Ashes series victories over Australia, home and away.
Fellow England cricketer Alastair Cook, a prolific scorer during the recent series against Australia and in the current series against Sri Lanka, won a lesser award, an MBE, while there was a knighthood for horse trainer Henry Cecil.
Golfer Lee Westwood, until last month ranked the world number one, was awarded an OBE.
(Editing by Andrew Roche)
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Asia's sad ballad queen rolls out new upbeat sound (AP)
HONG KONG – Sad songs have been good to Fish Leong. The Malaysian-Chinese singer's soulful Mandarin ballads about unrequited love and breakups have earned her a pan-Asian fan base and album sales of just over 18 million.
But life has changed for the 32-year-old, and it shows in her first album since getting married, the upbeat "What Love Songs Didn't Tell You."
"I can't stay in a distressed emotional state forever," Leong said in a backstage dressing room in Hong Kong late Monday, a week into a new world tour to support the album.
"It's just like acting in the movies — sometimes you derive your emotions from your life, sometimes you are portraying something fictitious in songs," she told The Associated Press. "I want to share the different sides of myself."
Leong married businessman Tony Chao last year in a beach ceremony on the Philippine island of Baracay.
The title track of her new album urges her fans to act on their emotions instead of dwelling on missed opportunities and venting their sorrow by singing her songs. One verse reads, "Singing 'Courage' but lacking courage leads to nothing," referring to one of her biggest hits, about the difficulties facing a controversial relationship.
By contrast, the title track on Leong's last album was called "Don't Cry for Him Anymore," in which a woman comforts a friend going through a tough separation.
So far the numbers back up Leong's new approach. "What Love Songs Didn't Tell You" has already sold some 900,000 copies in Asia, according to figures released by her management company.
Leong is mindful that it may take some time for her fans to get used to her new sound, so the rundown for her new tour, dubbed "The Love Library World Tour," draws mainly from her classics — with one or two new releases mixed in.
On Friday, a sold-out audience at the 12,500-seat Hong Kong Coliseum — one of the most prestigious venues in Chinese pop — Leong belted out hit after hit in a one-shoulder baring zebra-striped top, black pants and black high heels.
There is little in the way of dancing or screaming at Chinese pop concerts. Instead, fans waved bars illuminated with pink lights in unison as they sang along with Leong.
Backstage sat bouquets from fellow singers wishing her good luck, a Hong Kong custom. The senders read like a Who's Who of the Chinese music industry, and included Hong Kong singers Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Joey Yung and the popular female pop duo Twins.
"The Love Library World Tour" kicked off May 28 in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, where Leong, a native of the Malaysian town of Bahau, launched her career. She played three nights in Hong Kong, and in a sign of the growing importance of the thriving mainland Chinese market, 12 of the 17 confirmed dates are on the mainland.
The half-year tour also will take her to Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and the U.S. Malaysian dates have not been confirmed due to tight stadium bookings.
Leong said she has also started to listen to demos for her next album. "What Love Songs Didn't Tell You" was the first album she produced and she plans to retain creative control of her next release. "This is something I want to work hard at," she said.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Lady Gaga set to remain queen of U.S. album chart (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Lady Gaga will almost certainly spend a second week at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart next week after scoring a spectacular 1.11 million-unit opening round.
While it's too early to gauge exactly how many copies "Born This Way" will move during the week through Sunday, estimates suggest it could sell around 200,000 copies.
While that would represent a staggering percentage drop, it's not unusual to see albums that are heavily front-loaded in terms of first-week sales fall off a cliff in their second week. The opening round for "Born This Way" was also inflated by a 99-cent promotional offer on Amazon.com.
The top debut next week will come from Death Cab For Cutie's latest set, "Codes and Keys," which could shift perhaps 90,000 copies. And Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder's second solo album, "Ukulele Songs," may start with 60,000. Both sets are aiming for a launch in the top five of the Billboard 200.
Also driving toward the top 10 are My Morning Jacket's "Circuital" and Flogging Molly's "Speed of Darkness." Sales data will be published on Wednesday.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The long journey for talk show queen Oprah Winfrey (AFP)
CHICAGO (AFP) – Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is a US cultural phenomenon and kingmaker who inspired her millions of loyal fans to read more, buy her favorite things and seek her trademark "aha moments."
She is credited with changing the way people talk to each other, having popularized a confessional interview style that has coaxed secrets, revelations and often tears from guests of all kinds.
Winfrey, 57, who has publicly struggled with her own weight issues, has also become a spiritual icon and self-help guru urging viewers to find their true selves, follow their intuition and find inner peace and happiness.
"She blazed a trail," Ellen Degeneres, a comedian who hosts her own daytime talk show, once said. "She will always be the queen of daytime."
Born into a life of poverty and abuse in Mississippi in 1954, Winfrey began her broadcasting career while she was still in high school and landed a job as a news anchor in Nashville at age 19.
Her emotional ad-libs won her a Chicago morning talk show in 1984, which beat rival Phil Donahue for the top spot locally within a month and was syndicated nationally in 1986. She also acted in the 1985 hit film "The Color Purple."
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" remained the top-rated talk show of all time and was estimated to reach 40 million US viewers a week.
The show served as the foundation for an empire that spans books, radio, magazines and the Internet and has launched the careers of a host of regular guests including counselor Dr Phil and chef Rachael Ray.
Winfrey began her own production company in 1988 and named it Harpo -- her name backwards -- and Forbes magazine declared her the first female African-American billionaire in 2003.
Winfrey is now estimated to be worth 2.7 billion dollars and is regularly ranked among the world's most powerful women, celebrities and media personalities.
"I am truly amazed that I who started out in rural Mississippi in 1954 when the vision for a black girl was limited to being either a maid or a teacher in a segregated school could end up here," she said Wednesday as she drew the curtain on her final show.
But fans won't have to look far for their Oprah fix: the Oprah Winfrey Network was launched on January 1 this year and features a mix of reality shows, chat shows and films.
Known as an almost uniquely influential tastemaker, Winfrey's recommendation of a book or product has an instantaneous and enormous effect.
Through her now-defunct televised book club she popularized works including Cormac McCarthy's "The Road."
Her stamp of approval was considered so important that she managed to convince the famously-reclusive author to appear on her show for his first ever television interview.
In 2008, she broke with a precedent of staying out of politics and endorsed fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama's presidential bid.
Her support was estimated by University of Maryland researchers to have brought in a million additional votes and helped Obama win both the Democratic nomination and the presidency.
Her strength remained the emotional connection she makes with her guests and her viewers, and many celebrities chose Winfrey's comfortable couch as a confessional.
Tom Cruise famously jumped up on that sofa to proclaim his love for Katie Holmes. Winfrey also took her show to Neverland Ranch for a 1993 interview with Michael Jackson which drew an audience of 100 million people.
Winfrey's use of public confession as therapy was not reserved for guests: she regularly spoke of her battles with her fluctuating weight and of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child.
She fought to help prevent child abuse by establishing a national database of convicted child abusers, which became known as the "Oprah Bill" when former president Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993.
Winfrey is also a noted philanthropist, launching a public charity in 1998 to encourage her viewers to make a difference in the lives of others and a private foundation devoted to expanding access to education worldwide.
Winfrey has never married and has kept her more than 20-year relationship with businessman Stedman Graham largely out of public view.
But for her final show Wednesday he was in the audience, as she bade a tearful farewell to her legions of fans.
"From you whose names I will never know I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life," she said.
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Friday, May 13, 2011
Adele set to remain queen of album chart (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Adele's "21" is set for an eighth week atop the U.S. pop album chart next week, while the strongest debut will likely come from comedy troupe the Lonely Island.
Industry sources say the trio's "Turtleneck & Chain" could sell between 60,000 and 65,000 range by week's end on May 15, which will easily place it in the top five on the tally. Sales data will be published on Wednesday.
The Lonely Island's first set, "Incredibad" in 2009, debuted and peaked at No. 13 after selling 48,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It has since gone on to sell 358,000 copies in the United States.
Other albums looking to make top-10 bows include Christina Perri's "Lovestrong" and rapper Tyler, the Creator's "Goblin," with 40,000 to 45,000 copies each, and the Cars' "Move Like This," the band's first album since 1987's "Door to Door."
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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Queen Elizabeth Shines in Yellow at Royal Wedding
Here comes the sun: the Queen mum was all smiles as she greeted guests at the wedding of her grandson, Prince William.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Queen Elizabeth II chose an Angela Kelly single crepe wool primrose dress with hand-sewn beading at the neck in the shape of sunrays.
Pinned to her matching double crepe wool tailored primrose coat was Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot diamond brooch. Her hat with silk roses -- also designed by Angela Kelly -- was a lovely addition to her outfit. Ladylike accessories like white gloves, pearl necklace and white handbag added a timeless elegance.
Meanwhile, bride Kate Middleton wore a Sarah Burton gown down the aisle and wedding guest Victoria Beckham accessorized with a floral topper as well -- hers is a bit more eccentric than the Queen's though.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Queen Elizabeth Shines in Yellow at Royal Wedding
Here comes the sun: the Queen mum was all smiles as she greeted guests at the wedding of her grandson, Prince William.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
Queen Elizabeth II chose an Angela Kelly single crepe wool primrose dress with hand-sewn beading at the neck in the shape of sunrays.
Pinned to her matching double crepe wool tailored primrose coat was Queen Mary's True Lovers Knot diamond brooch. Her hat with silk roses -- also designed by Angela Kelly -- was a lovely addition to her outfit. Ladylike accessories like white gloves, pearl necklace and white handbag added a timeless elegance.
Meanwhile, bride Kate Middleton wore a Sarah Burton gown down the aisle and wedding guest Victoria Beckham accessorized with a floral topper as well -- hers is a bit more eccentric than the Queen's though.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
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